Broad Horizons
by TwinRivers42
Summary: "I'm so proud of you Bonnie, keep working hard and always trying your best okay?" she said before departing, leaving Bonnibel all alone. Marceline x Bonnibel Highschool slowburn AU
1. Chapter 1

"Uh-uh, no way Bauldy" Bonnibel crossed her arms in a visceral show of how every essence of her being was rejecting the idea put forth to her. Throwing one leg over the other as she leaned back in her chair and chewed the inside of her cheek just added to her display of sassy defiance.

"Why must you always be so stubborn about everything I suggest?" Her uncle sighed in exasperation, rubbing the space between his tightly closed eyes "I'm tired of always warring with you…And please stop calling me that for Pete's sake!"

"Then stop suggesting ridiculous things!" Bonnibel retorted, throwing her hand up before quickly returning it to it's nestled place in front of her bosom, as if forgetting for a second that she wanted to remain as closed off as possible. She instead elected to cast her gaze up to the ceiling.

"I'm merely asking you to… broaden your horizons. You're always so serious. Always buried in your books. Maybe if you take this as an extra class you might actually have fun" He attempted with a forced a smile, one finger tapping the syllabus "You used to love playing the piano as a kid, your father-"

Bonnibel let of a short, sharp humourless laugh that made her uncle wince.

"Precisely, when I was a child. This is the rest of my life that I'm planning for and I don't want to turn out…" She trailed off before she went too far. Her uncle, however, already understood all too well where she was headed with that particular train of thought.

"And you don't want to turn out like me you mean?" He said in a low voice.  
When Bonnibel made no attempt to answer, they both sat in an uncomfortable silence. Neither daring to look at the other.

The obnoxiously loud tick-tock of the ancient timepiece on the wall being the only indication of the passage of time. As much as Bonnibel had cursed the annoying clock in the past, she for once was thankful for it right now.

"Do whatever you want Bonnibel, but for now, please just go to your room" He said after what seemed like an eternity, but had really only been thirty seconds.  
He sounded defeated and Bonnibel knew that she had hurt him, so without further word, she collected her papers and slunk guiltily out of the kitchen where they had been sitting at the dining table.

With difficulty, she ascended the tight stairway of her uncles small terrace house. Each step felt as felt as though she was trudging through quick sand, and as soon as she reached her room, she slumped down at her desk with a pout.

She felt bad. Every discussion with her uncle Archibald seemed to devolve into an argument lately.  
On this particular occasion he had suggested that Bonnibel an extra subject for her upcoming A Level enrolment. Something that was 'fun and outside of her comfort zone' as he had put it, and it just so happened that the only subject that fit in with her busy line up of core sciences and mathematics was music.  
Which was completely useless, in Bonnibel's humble opinion. She was a scientist not some…some busker, begging for spare change.  
At least that's what she told herself as she sat, head in hands, mulling over her potential schedule.

Her eye line kept drifting over to her cupboard every now and then however. The cupboard that she was all too aware that housed her old forgotten Casio keyboard that she'd begged her parents to get her for her thirteenth birthday.

Slowly rising from her seat, she tentatively opened the bi-fold door and gazed into the depths. She figured, it wouldn't hurt to look at it one last time. She could probably dispose of it tomorrow to avoid any temptation to waste time playing it in the future.  
It sat dormant in all its dusty glory, nothing more than a stand for hoodies she no longer wore, at the far corner of her closet.  
The multitude of buttons and dials could be seen peeking behind the gap offered by one of the zippers.  
How Bonnibel had loved this things not too long ago. Music composition could be both mathematical and relaxing and this bad boy had been able to produce sounds that she hadn't even thought possible.

Sleek, black…pointless.

Bonnibel slammed the door closed before grabbing her fluffy white towel from the back of the computer chair.  
 _Pointless_ , she reiterated in her head.

Marching down the hall to the bathroom, Bonnibel locked the door and threw off her clothes in haste. Turning on the shower a little hotter than she intended in her impetuosity, she stepped under the stream, letting out a rare curse.

"This is my future we are talking about" she mumbled, washing herself furiously as if to cleanse herself of any other thought. Squirting a hearty glob she began working it through her strawberry blonde hair "Why does Bauldy even bring these things up if he doesn't want to start an argument? He knows I'm not my father"

At this, Bonnibel slowed her assault on her hair considerably, simply letting the water rinse the suds away down the drain.  
Staring at the tasteful, light blue mosaic tile that bordered the shower enclosure a little longer than necessary, allowing her mind to go blank for first time in what seemed like a very long time.

Bonnibel finally seemed to realise just how hot the water was however as steam began clouding her vision. Squinting down at her body, she realised she'd gone an unnatural shade of pink. Shutting off the water and stepping out on to the cold stone floor with relief, she wrapped the towel around herself swiftly and grabbed the hair dryer from the wicker basket under the sink.

Wiping a streak clear in the fogged up mirror, Bonnibel took a long hard look at herself.

 _I mean I could always drop it if I don't like it_ , she thought to herself, watching as more condensation quickly replaced that which she had rubbed away.

* * *

A/N

Alright so this is more of a short prologue I guess. The following chapters will be much longer than this (and I promise Marceline will be in the next one).

I've been reading a lot of slow burn highschool AUs lately, and I just felt like giving it a go. I'm not going to be breaking any new ground here, mainly focusing on the characters and such. If you don't like that, then don't read it I suppose. I've set it to T rating for now but that might eventually go up to an M. I'm not sure... we will see where this goes (I'll label any chapter later on if it contains Mature content).

It's going to be set in Britain, so sorry if the school system alienates anyone, but I wont really be focusing _too_ much on it.

I don't have any set schedule for updates, so just stay tuned.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Bonnibel, unlike the rest of her unwilling classmates, sat straight backed and alert in her chair, eagerly awaiting the paperwork that her tutor was currently handing out.

"I don't know how you manage to be so peppy this early in the morning" her friend, Finn, said between yawns. Beside him, Jake looked no better as he sipped coffee from his thermos, somehow summoning the energy to nod in concurrence with what his brother was saying.

"Oh I don't know, it probably has something to do with _not_ sleeping in everyday throughout the entire summer break, going to bed at a decent time and…" Bonnibel tapped her chin in mock thought "Oh actually having an inclination to learn"

Despite the playful spin she put on her words, she hoped that some of the weight behind them got through. As much as she loved all of her friends, they weren't exactly what you would call 'academic overachievers'. She was sure that the only reason any of them passed their GCSEs was because of her help. Now, with her doing completely different subjects from them, she wasn't too hopeful with how they would fare. School work was very important to Bonnibel, and she wasn't going to let any of them drag her down.  
They were on their own as far as she was concerned.

Tough love.

"Yikes, harsh Bon" Finn replied through gritted teeth, scratching the back of his head (the blonde locks on which were getting seriously long. Bonnibel suspected that he hadn't cut it at all throughout the holidays).

Again, Jake bobbed his head in agreement. Though Bonnibel was starting to suspect that he was just nodding off to sleep rather than actually adding his own non-verbal contribution to the conversation. She noticed that he was growing a rugged looking five o'clock shadow on his chin and she wondered if the two brothers were _trying_ to go for the hippy look or if they had just been lazy.

"Just because everyone isn't as die hard as you Bates, doesn't mean he isn't special in his own way" The redhead across the table piped up, causing Bonnibel to add a non-verbal contribution of her own as she rolled her eyes dramatically.

She was Finn's current beau, and she had one fiery temperament. Ever since she found out that Finn used to have a crush on Bonnibel, she'd made it her mission to antagonise her at every turn. The couple had been together a year at this point, she wasn't sure why she couldn't just get over it already considering she had shown absolutely zero interest in Finn romantically.

Over Finn's feeble complaints about his girlfriend's phrasing, the two girls simply glared at each other before the teacher caught their attention by walking up behind them, shuffling the long awaited papers. She was a short, round homely looking woman, that seemed more like a cute grandmother than a teacher.

"Ah Phoebe dear, I do believe your schedule's riiight…here" Mrs. Trunks said, drawing out every syllable even more than usual in her Southern-American drawl "Bonnibel, good to see you again. I'm sorry you won't be in my cooking classes any longer but I'm sure you've moved on to greener pastures"

 _You can say that again_ , Bonnibel thought, while she did want to possibly get married one day, she was _not_ planning on being a stay-at-home housewife, so she felt the need to be able to cook a waste of her time. Although she did enjoy baking and making sweets, she realised that that wouldn't get her anywhere in life, so unless every store in the country inexplicably stopped selling them pre-made, she wasn't about to take it up as a hobby.  
While all this ran through her mind however, she only offered a smile and she accepted her schedule with a thanks as the teacher moved on to the next student.

Eagerly, she began memorising it as soon as she laid eyes on it, excited to know what the year would have in store for her.

Chemistry would be her first class today. _Yes!_

Then back-to-back Physics. _Double yes!_

Next was a free study block… _Good,_ _that'll give me time to review all of the upcoming subject they will probably introduce on the first day._

Then her last lesson was…O _h **.** Oh god no._

"Wow Bon, you're taking music? Didn't expect that, but good for you" Jake said in his gruff voice as he peered over her shoulder, apparently choosing this moment to wake up and find his voice.

Bonnibel clutched the piece of paper to her chest with a start. She felt herself flush as she sensed the eyes of the other two on her. In embarrassment, she rushed to justify herself.

"I-I forgot I did that" At least this much was true. She had submitted her choice of subjects months ago and she wasn't sure she was quite in her right mind when she did. She remembered being light-headed and...sentimental. Bonnibel shuddered  
"My uncle made me do it" she added. This last statement wasn't quite as truthful as the last, but she was mortified with her decision and needed a scapegoat.

"Don't be ashamed Bon, me and Jake are both taking drama. You can do our music scores if we need them"

For some reason, that didn't make Bonnibel feel any better as she caught the smug expression on Phoebe's face out of the corner of her eye.

* * *

"It's the first day, you can take it easy you know?"

Bonnibel peeked over the top of her brand new science textbook. Her friend Lady was staring at her with an eyebrow raised "My parents are Asian and even they don't expect me to excel as much as you expect yourself to"

Snapping the book shut with a chuckle, Bonnibel put the offending item away "Okay mildly racist jokes a aside, I guess I will chill out for a sec since it's lunch"

Dipping her hand into her rucksack, she retrieved her slightly squashed sandwich that her uncle had made for her this morning. Glancing at the clock on the wall of the break room, she began wolfing it down as quickly as possible, realising she only had five minutes before the bell rang.

"I was talking to Brad and apparently they have an ice breaker party at the end of the third week" Another girl in her friend group, Elle, chimed in. Her nasally voice always enough to cut through anyone's train of thought and set their teeth on edge "They had one last year and everyone got so drunk. I'm totally going"

"What's the point of an ice breaker when everyone already knows each other? Didn't we break the ice six years ago?" Lady asked what she thought was a fair point.

"Not true girl. There's a few new people from other schools that joined because they didn't have a sixth form or whatever. Look over there, there's a totally hot one right now" Elle said a little too loudly, alerting said hotty. His jet black hair was a little too expertly tousled for Bonnibel's taste, but she couldn't deny that he was handsome as he shot a wolfish grin in their direction. When they caught each others eye, Bonnibel quickly looked away.

"Why does every conversation with you end up back to the same thing Elle?" Jake asked, moving a little closer to Lady, as if trying to hide her from the predatory gaze of the male across the room. Like the other couple in the group, the two had been dating for a while now, but he was still just as protective of her as the day they had met.

"Oh you're just sour because you're in my friend-zone" Elle snapped back before sidling a little closer to Finn, trying to look as sultry as possible "Your brother though is another matter"  
She was quickly shut down however by a hand in front of her face that belonged to a certain furious redhead.

"No. Not happening" Was all Phoebe had to say as the school bell finally rang and she grabbed her flabbergasted boyfriend by the wrist and dragged him to whatever class they had next. Elle just let out a very audible groan, seized her things and went after them.

"Never a dull moment, huh?" Lady mused more to herself than anyone, before turning back to her friend "You have music next right?"

Bonnibel's face, which had previously been smiling at her friends antics, fell into a sour expression and she let out a groan of her own.

 _How does everyone know?_ , she thought

"Don't remind me. I'm still in denial" Angrily she threw the crusts of her sandwich in the bin as she exited the hall and began the short trip to the music department. Bidding farewell to her friend unwillingly once she was outside, she took a deep breath and entered the small foyer. Searching for room M3 for only a moment before pushing open the appropriate door.

The room was empty apart from the teacher, although that wasn't a surprise. Most students didn't start coming to class until the second bell, the first simply being a five minute warning bell. Bonnibel however never made it a habit to be late, even if it was for a class she planned on eventually dropping.

"Ah Bonnibel, what a surprise to see you here" Mr. Butler said with a huge grin on his face.

"A good one I hope sir" She replied, the smile she returned not quite as sincere as his.

"Of course, of course. I know you were always more into the core subjects, but it never hurts to broaden your horizons I always say" Bonnibel cringed. It was the same reasoning her uncle had used a couple months ago that started this mess "I hope you don't mind but I'm going to have the class sit in alphabetical order. There's a few new faces this year and it'll help me remember names faster I believe"

After giving her assent, Bonnibel sat at the front of the class, third seat in. Her name usually meant that she went first in most things, not that she minded. It just meant she could show others how it was done.

As Bonnibel pulled out her pen and paper (which she could only assume that she needed) two more students entered which she only vaguely knew, them not really being in her friend group, she ignored their presence. The lone girl that followed them however made her do a double take.

It was face she didn't recognise. She was beautiful, but Bonnibel told herself that that wasn't why her gaze lingered.

 _I know Sixth Forms uniform standards are a little more relaxed than it was in secondary...but come on._

From head to toe, she could pick out something incorrect. Methodical as ever, Bonnibel did a quick mental checklist of discrepancies.

First of all the girls long ebony hair was not tied back neatly like it was supposed to be. The word 'long' being an understatement. Bonnibel considered her waist length tresses to be 'long'. This girls was down to the back of her _knees,_ which couldn't be to code could it? She would have to consult the uniform guideline when she got home.

Moving on, her deep teal tie was far too loose. The little grey school crest that was embroidered on it couldn't be seen, which was against regulation. That was something she knew for sure.

Next, the girl had elected to wear black trousers instead of the standard issue pleated skirt like Bonnibel, which was fine. What _wasn't_ fine was that she was fairly certain that they were skinny jeans.

Finally, and this was the kicker that nearly made her fall off her chair in a faint, in lieu of smart dress shoes, the girl was wearing all black Chucks.

This was unacceptable. The girl looked like she had come fresh out of a rock concert rather than stepping into a classroom. There was no way the teacher wouldn't say anything.

Eagerly, Bonnibel watched as she approached Mr. Butler.

"Hello and welcome new comer! What's your name please?" he said kindly. He had a big smile, which Bonnibel only assumed was a ruse to soften the blow for when he laid into her. He was always a nice teacher, and it was good of him to be so conscientious and not immediately tear this girl down since it was her first day here.

"Uh, Marceline" the girl said, shrugging her red backpack to a more comfortable position on her shoulder. Bonnibel wasn't sure why she didn't just use both straps and eliminate the need for constant correction, but this was small fry compared to everything else she was witnessing.

"And what a lovely name. Surname Abadeer?" Mr. Butler enquired, looking up from his sheet. At his student's nod, he pointed to the second seat at the front of the room "Okay Miss Abadeer, you'll be sitting next to Bonnibel"

Stunned was a word that came to mind when reading Bonnibels expression as the girl got off scott free and plonked herself to the left of her.

An expression she continued to have even a full minute after the girl flashed her a smile and said "Hello".

Only the second bell finally ringing caused her to blink, snap her jaw shut and bring her back to reality.

"Are you from Farm World?" Bonnibel blurted out incredulously, making the girl jump a little. When she didn't immediately respond and a few seconds ticked by as the mental cogs turned, she realised what she had just said.  
Farm World was the nickname of one of the local school that had a very bad reputation, the connotation being that the students were a bunch of unruly animals. Not the most clever of analogies but it was fitting as most of the criminal and drug dealers that Bonnibel read about in the newspapers tended to originate from there. At Marceline's offended countenance, she quickly cleared her throat and amended her question "I mean, what school are you from?"

It was a poor save and the girl didn't look impressed as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Bonnibel couldn't help but notice the three studs that adorned the lobe. Two more than school policy, but who's counting?

"Knight's Sphere...but thanks for assuming" Marceline responded bitterly.

Bonnibel's eyebrows shot up. Knight's Sphere School was fairly reputable, with as many students of theirs moving onto Oxford and Cambridge as this school. She didn't expect someone like this to be one of their secondary school graduates. Maybe she was lying because she wanted to save face.

There was little time to ruminate on this however as the girl next to hers sour expression turned to one of delight at the two people who just entered the classroom.

"Marsh, K!" she waved over at them and they responded in kind.

Turning her attention towards them, Bonnibels face flushed red. The male counterpart of the duo was the guy that Elle had been making eyes at in the lunchroom.

 _Perfect_ , she though irritably. After talking to the teacher to find their spots, the boy sat down next to Marceline and the girl that was with him sat in the other side of Bonnibel. _Even more perfect. I'm being flanked. This won't be awkward at all._

As Marceline began talking to the boy she assumed could only be her brother due to the striking resemblance, Bonnibel decided to at least not burn every bridge that was presented to her and turned in her seat to the female newcomer.  
She at least looked a little more presentable and put together than the other two, although her wild hair left a little to be desired.

"Hello there, I'm Bonnibel Bates, nice to meet you" She extended her hand out stiffly, inwardly cringing at how overly formal she sounded. She was mildly surprised when she wasn't laughed at but instead a light brown hand found it's way into hers and gave it a vigorous shake.

"Good afternoon Bonnibel Bates, my name is Keila Beetz" The girl replied in a faux posh accent that was more in jest than ridicule, judging by the warm smile the girl wore.  
Glancing over at the teacher, it seemed as though he was allowing a small amount of time for the students to mingle so Bonnibel realised it was safe to attempt conversation.

"Beetz? That's kind of on the nose isn't it, considering you're doing music?"

Keila gave a small chuckle."Yeah my middle name is Dropda" When Bonnibel only smiled politely in bewilderment, Keila laughed even harder and clarified "Sorry, bad joke. It's German."

"Ah! Bist du aus Deutschland? Sprichst du Deutsch?" Bonnibel asked, eyes lighting up considerably. She had been fascinated with the German language and was hopeful that maybe she had found someone she could test her abilities on. Most students only seemed to want to learn enough of the language to get by the exam, but Bonnibel had decided to do some extra-curricular learning of her own.

"Nein. I'm a few generations too late unfortunately. You sound as though you're pretty good with the language though, you should teach me all the swear words"

Feeling a little crest fallen that she wouldn't get to have lengthy Germanic conversations, Bonnibel tried not to show it as she replied "I'm not even sure I even know all the swear words in English so not sure if I can help you there"

Suddenly, Bonnibel felt a shift in the seat to her left.

"Hey Keila, has she asked you if you sell heroine on the side yet?" Marceline rudely interrupted, with a fake sympathetic expression on her face that seemed to say 'I'm sorry you got stuck with the nerd'.

Bonnibel didn't like it one bit.

"I would never ask someone that" she bit back, looking completely affronted "And do you mind? We were having a conversation"

Marceline hummed in thought and elected to ignore the last comment altogether it seemed "At least not outright, you just do them dirty by gawking and _insinuating_ they're rough, right?"

 _What?! Who does this girl thinks she is?_ _There was no way she went to Knight's Sphere with an attitude like this_ , Bonnibel surmised.  
In just a few words, this new girl was getting Bonnibel riled up and she looked as though she knew it.

"It's not my fault you came in here looking like a thug" she blurted out in response.

The black haired girl dissolved into laughter as if she was enjoying the argument, which only fed the flames of Bonnibel's ire as she continued digging at her "Oh, do we communicate in in monkey language at this school, when I smiled at you was that a sign of aggression? I guess I didn't read that in the pamphlet"

"Do you-" she was about to snap back, but the teacher called the class to attention and she didn't have a penchant for talking out of turn while the lesson was underway.  
Instead she simply gave the ill-mannered punk a lingering glare and ignored her as best she could.

Still, she could practically feel the sly grin radiating from her as Keila whispered for her to play nice.

* * *

Tapping her papers into order where they belonged, Bonnibel's eyes scanned over her neat, semi-cursive handwriting. As with every other class today, Mr. Butler only went over what would typically be expected of them throughout the course of the year.  
It was a little more intensive than Bonnibel was expecting from an arts subject, but there was no exam.

 _Easy A as long as I keep on top of it_ , she thought confidently, _If I decide to even stay with it that is._

"I've never seen someone take so many notes in a music class before" Keila said in a playful tone, glancing down at her own notes which only consisted of a few key dates and a doodle in the corner "I'm impressed"

"Never hurts to be prepared" She replied proudly, hearing a sharp exhale on her other side that sounded suspiciously like a snicker, but she chose to ignore it.

Gathering her things, she stood and began making her way out of class. She was somewhat taken-aback when Keila began walking side-by-side with her. The other two (definitely twins now that Bonnibel looked closer) trailing behind, ribbing each other and giggling over god knows what inane thing the pair could come up with together.

"So Bonnibel, what made you choose music if you don't mind me asking? You don't really seem like the type. No offence"

 _None taken_ , Bonnibel thought with an internal sigh of relief

"Oh no, I'm into science mostly. I just got...guilt-tripped into this I guess" She replied, and quickly tried to veer the subject away from herself "You on the other hand, seem as though you'd be into rock music, am I right?"

"Bingo!" Keila said enthusiastically, winking an eye and shooting the other girl with a finger gun "Me and Marce are in a band actually, I'm on guitar"

Taking a second to realise she meant Marceline, Bonnibel fought the urge to make an expression of distaste. Keila seemed nice, so she wasn't sure why she was hanging out with someone so rude.

"What kind of music do you like?" Keila queried. Behind them, the two twins had finally gone quiet, presumably at the sound of one of their names earlier.

"Oh well, in all honestly, I'm not really into music that much but I like classical. I play the piano and a little violin" Pondering for a moment, she clutched at straws for something that could be relatable "And Black Sabbath aren't too bad"

Sudden laughter erupted from behind them, causing the two girls to whip around.

The boy was grinning but otherwise silent, merely acting as a leaning post for Marceline as she held onto her stomach cackling. Taking a few deep breaths, she eventually composed herself, stood up straight and wiped away a fake tear.

"Phew, thanks for that, I needed a laugh"

Puffing out her chest and standing ram-rod straight to match the other girls height, Bonnibel bit the inside of her lip and flared her nostrils slightly as she let out a long stream of air from them.

"I'm sorry, was something funny?" she was beyond politely annoyed at this point. She didn't even know this girl and she was being mocked by her.

"Just a preppy girl like you liking Black Sabbath is too much" Marceline said, voice still full of mirth "What, did you dip into daddies record collection?"

"No I didn't thanks, not that it's any of your business" Bonnibel flushed red and balled her fists. In truth, she did only know of them because of her father but she wasn't about to admit that "And preppy? I'm not a prep"

She watched as Marceline's deep green eyes scanned her from her high ponytail to her oxford style shoes and let out a snort.

"Lose the long Ralph Lauren socks and maybe I'll believe you" She said with a smug look on her face before her brother grabbed her by the elbow and started to lead her away.

"Sorry about her, she has this syndrome where she thinks shes in some nineties teen movie. Rockers versus nerds, that kind of thing" At Marceline's struggles and complaints, he began to walk away faster "Anyway nice to meet you, you seem cool, I'll hit you up in the lunchroom. See ya Keila"

With one final wink in Bonnibel's direction, the twins disappeared around the corner. The two remaining girls stared off after them for a while, glued to the spot, before one of them broke the bemused silence.

"What the hell just happened?" Bonnibel said in a mild state of shock.

"Well, I think Marceline just put you on blast and Marshall tried hitting on you, but I can't be sure" Keila shook her head causing her mass of hair to bounce slightly at the motion "Look, they're eccentric, but great once you get to them, I promise"

Somehow, Bonnibel wasn't sure about that.

* * *

A/N:

So yeah, Bonnie can be pretty snobby lol.

Most fics seem to make Marceline the cause of contention but I feel as though Bon would be the one to give the most agro because she's so highly strung.

I chose the name Beetz, because in my head, Keila looks like Zazie Beetz. Plus then they all get to sit together, which is convenient isn't it?

Also, I honestly apologise for the 'joke' that Keila made.

Sorry if there are any spelling errors.


End file.
